0001| SENATE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR | 0002| SENATE BILL 408 | 0003| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 1998 | 0004| INTRODUCED BY | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| | 0011| AN ACT | 0012| RELATING TO THE PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE; | 0013| ESTABLISHING THE STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY | 0014| PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LOW-COST, STATE-OF-THE-ART COMPUTERS FOR | 0015| NEW MEXICO'S CLASSROOMS; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS; DECLARING AN | 0016| EMERGENCY. | 0017| | 0018| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0019| Section 1. STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY | 0020| PROGRAM--FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.-- | 0021| A. The legislature finds that: | 0022| (1) local school districts need increased | 0023| access to information technologies, extensive professional | 0024| development and sustained network support to use technology | 0025| effectively; | - 1 - 0001| (2) the technological needs of New Mexico's | 0002| individual school children and classrooms are best defined by the | 0003| teachers and principals who work with them on a day-to-day basis; | 0004| (3) New Mexico is fortunate to have high | 0005| technology laboratories and corporations that have programs to | 0006| supply low-cost, state-of-the-art central processing units for | 0007| use in New Mexico classrooms; and | 0008| (4) there are large nonprofit programs in place | 0009| to build and rehabilitate computers for New Mexico classrooms | 0010| using a combination of donated, surplus and purchased equipment. | 0011| B. The purpose of this act is to establish a | 0012| statewide educational technology opportunity program for New | 0013| Mexico's teachers and students by creating a partnership between | 0014| private industry, state government and local school districts | 0015| that will build, distribute and install low-cost, network-ready | 0016| computers in New Mexico classrooms over the next three years. | 0017| Section 2. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY | 0018| PROGRAM--DUTIES OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.-- | 0019| A. The state department of public education shall | 0020| contract with a nonprofit corporation to administer the statewide | 0021| educational technology opportunity program. The department shall | 0022| select a contractor that has a program in place to build and | 0023| rehabilitate computers for New Mexico classrooms using a | 0024| combination of donated, surplus and purchased equipment. In | 0025| administering the statewide educational technology opportunity | - 2 - 0001| program, the contractor, in coordination with the department, | 0002| shall: | 0003| (1) solicit and accept applications for | 0004| computer assistance from local school teachers through the local | 0005| school principals; | 0006| (2) establish criteria for evaluating | 0007| applications for computer assistance. The criteria shall include | 0008| requirements for an established technology plan and an | 0009| established network infrastructure; | 0010| (3) establish a review process involving public | 0011| and private entities to evaluate each application, determine the | 0012| amount of computer assistance needed and allocate the available | 0013| computers to ensure that computer assistance is distributed | 0014| equitably; and | 0015| (4) submit an annual report to the state board | 0016| of education, the governor and the legislature on the progress of | 0017| the program, showing the regional distribution of the program, | 0018| the number of computers distributed and the cost of each | 0019| computer. | 0020| B. Upon the approval of an application for computer | 0021| assistance, the contractor shall distribute the allocated | 0022| computers directly to the classroom and teacher. Pursuant to the | 0023| contract and upon the receipt of an invoice, the state department | 0024| of public education shall reimburse the contractor for the state | 0025| portion of the cost of the computer assistance granted. | - 3 - 0001| C. The state department of public education, after | 0002| consulting with private industry, local school districts and | 0003| other interested parties shall promulgate such rules as are | 0004| necessary to implement the statewide educational technology | 0005| opportunity program. | 0006| Section 3. APPROPRIATIONS.--Two million dollars | 0007| ($2,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund in each of | 0008| fiscal years 1998 through 2000 to the state department of public | 0009| education. The appropriations shall be expended in the fiscal | 0010| year received and succeeding fiscal years only for reimbursing | 0011| the contractor for the state portion of computer assistance | 0012| granted pursuant to Section 2 of this act. Unexpended or | 0013| unencumbered balances of the appropriations shall not revert. | 0014| Section 4. EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public | 0015| peace, health and safety that this act take effect immediately. | 0016|  |